Addiction treatment modalities

Outpatient Care

⋄ Techniques vary by clinician but typically include :

• o cognitive-behavioral therapy
• o problem-solving groups

⋄ Low success rate with heavily addicted individuals.
⋄ Moderate addicts may find that this level of treatment is enough to end their drug abuse problems.

12 Step Programs

⋄ Clients attend meetings.
⋄ Preferable after or in conjunction with some other form of drug treatment
⋄ There is the belief that they will never "recover" from their drug addiction.
⋄ This type of program may leave many feeling powerless (one of 12 steps is to accept powerlessness) over ever ending their battle with drug addiction.
⋄ This type of program may work for some, but has low success rate.


Inpatient Short-Term Rehabilitation

⋄ Substance abuse treatment that lasts typically for 30 days.
⋄ Overseen by medical professionals and trained counselors, often Certified Drug Addiction Specialist.
⋄ Goals are primarily physical stabilization, abstinence from all use, and lifestyle changes.
⋄ Primarily founded in a modified 12-step approach.


Inpatient Long-Term Rehabilitation

⋄ Inpatient long-term residential program is a 24 hour a day 7 days a week treatment.
⋄ Duration can be from several months to a year or more.
⋄ Residential treatment is conducted in non-clinical settings known as therapeutic communities.
⋄ May also include additional treatment strategies such as social education.


Methadone Maintenance Treatment

⋄ For clients with a dependence on heroin or other morphine like drugs.
⋄ Methadone decreases the feeling of pain and reduces emotional responses to withdrawal symptoms.
⋄ A dose typically suppresses an addict's symptoms for 24 hours.
⋄ Downside:

• o Clients are physically dependent on
• o They may find themselves using it for many years after they start treatment.
• o Methadone may be more difficult to withdrawal from than heroin.
• o Maintenance involves more time, pain, and expense than heroin withdrawal.

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